Safety radiator cap



w. J. REESE ET AL 64 SAFETY RADIATOR CAP Filed Oct. 29, 1956- May 21,1957 has :4 as 35 28 Z 45 3 24 w wk m 6 I6 I? v Q 16 V g 8 5 EN 0R INV TS 40 6M United States PatentO 2,792,964 SAFETY RADIATOR CAP Walter J.Reese and Arthur C. Smith, Phoenix, Ariz. Application October 29, 1956,Serial No. 618,978 4- Claims. (Cl. 220-44) This invention concerns asafety radiator cap for internal combustion engine radiators whichoperate at temperatures above the boiling point.

For reasons of efficiency well known to the trade, and those familiarwith the art, water cooled internal combustion engines, such as, forexample, those havingair cooled radiators containing circulating water,have been operated at temperatures above the boiling point of water atsea level, and at the place of operation. Under these conditions steampressure builds up within the radiator. Since radiators are commonlyprovided with filling spouts having closing caps which are removablyattached to the top of the spout, these cooling systems operating aboveatmospheric pressure have now been provided with a cap having an upperportion which closes on the filling spout of the radiator and a lowerportion including a disc shaped valve which is held closed on a seat atthe bottom of the spout neck by a spring of predetermined strength. Thecap portion above the spring is held in place on the radiator spout bypartial threads, according to the usual practice, and an overflow drainpipe is commonly connected to the spout neck above the valve plug seatat its bottom. It the engine over heats and steam pressure in theradiator exceeds that for which the spring held valve plug is designed,the plug is raised from the seat and steam and water escape through theoverflow pipe which is directed downward at one side of the radiator.However, when it is necessary to add water to the radiator, and the toppart of the cap is loosened from the spout, thespring tension on theclosing plug is released and steam and hot water escape from theradiator spout often scalding and burning the person who loosens thecap. Obviously the safe way to remove the radiator cap is to wait untilthe pressure in the radiator has dropped, but this takes considerabletime and as a rule it is inconvenient to wait until pressure within theradiator drops below the boil? ing point.

In order to provide a radiator cap which will remove the hazard ofopening the spout before the pressure has dropped to atmosphericpressure we have provided a structure whereby it is possible to lift thedisc shaped closing plug within the spout and allow vapor pressure toescape into the overflow drain pipe without disturbing or loosening theupper part of the cap from its position on the upper portion of theradiator spout.

In view of the foregoing, one of the objects of our invention is toprovide a radiator cap having a closing plug which is adapted to closeon a seat in the neck of the radiator spout with a pre-determinedresilient pressure, so that water in the radiator may be maintained at atemperature above the boiling point, with means for partially openingthe closing plug to allow vapor pressure to escape from the radiatorthrough the overflow drain pipe before the upper part of the cap isloosened or removed Another object is to provide a radiator cap of thetype above described with means for lifting one edge of the disc shapedplug from its seat at the bottom of the radiator spout neck in order toallow vapor pressure to escape through the drain, which means can beoperated without disturbing the closure of the upper part of the cap onthe spout, and which can be easily and cheaply made and easily operated.

2,792,964 Patented May 21, 1957 Other objects will appear hereinafter.

We attain the foregoing objects by means of the devices, parts andcombinations of parts shown in the accompanying drawings in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of a radiator cap incorporating my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the cap with the parts sectioned offsubstantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1 and with the cap shown in closedposition;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 but with the cap closingvalve raised to allow the escape of steam while the outer hold downcap,which is screwed onto the neck of the shell of the radiator, ismaintained in closed position;

Figure 4 is a side elevation Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the radiator cap, taken substantially online 5-5 of Figure 1, and drawn on an enlarged scale.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the several views.

The radiator closing cap 2 consists of an upper closing cap 3 which isprovided with a rim 4 that includes lugs 5 which engage under the lip 6of neck 7 which is attached to the radiator shell 8 by the flange 9.

Within the neck the shell 8 of the radiator is opened and provided witha rim to form a valve seat 10. The space 12 within the neck is open tothe atmosphere when the cap is closed through the overflow drain pipe14.

The valve seat is closed by a valve plate 16 which is made of metal anda gasket 19 held onto a pressure double faced pan 17 by metal clips 18which are bent upward over the rim of the pan. Gasket 19 is made offiber-like material and is held upward against the valve plate by awasher 20 and this, in turn, is held in of thecap as shown in place by aloose rivet 21 which extends through the valve plate 16 and the bottomof pressure pan 17.

The top part of pressure pan 17 is heldin position by a shaft 23 ontowhich it is attached by sleeve 24 attached to the upper side of the pan.Shaft 23 extends upward to and is held in upper sleeve 25, centrallyattached and positioned on the under face of upper cap 3 by head 26.Shaft 23 telescopes in sleeve 25 and its lower end slides on sleeve 24when spring 27 is compressed. Sleeve 24 is retained by pin 28 extendingthrough shaft 23. Relative rotation of pan 17'and cap 3 is prevented bykey lugs 28 engaging in keyway 29 in shaft 23.

Open spring 27 extends between the upper face of pressure pan 17 and theunder face of the closing cap. This spring holds pressure pan 17downward with a pro-determined pressure. This pressure is such that thevalve plate and its gasket seals on seat 10 with a force sufficient tomaintain pressure in the radiator above atmosphere, as desired.

Since this pressure will force the entire radiator cap to blow off theneck whenever the upper cap portion 3 is released and thus will allowsteam and hot water to escape from the upper portion of the radiator ina manner. likely to scald and burn a person removing the cap, we willprovide a means for releasing the valve plate from its closed positionon the seat 10 which can be operated from a position on top of the cap 3and without releasing it from the neck 7.

This means consists of a link rod 30 which is con nected by a tab 31 toone edge of the hold'down pan 17. The link extends up through a hole 362in the top of cap 3, extends above the top and connects to the outerwhich engages against the upper arm 34 of spring 35 when in the loweredposition shown. In this position the link 31 does not pull upward on thelug 31 and does not interfere with the closing action of the valve plate16.

When lever 38 is moved upward, as shown in Figure 3, and end cam portion40 of the lever which is a continuing part of cam 39, engages againstthe upper arm 34 of spring 35, the arm is raised. Cam portion 40 isarranged so that the tension of the upper arm of the spring 35 isreleased and the spring tends to open and thereby exerts a pull on link30. The tension of spring 35 is great enough to overcome the tension ofspring 27 on valve plate 16 thereby raising one edge of the valve plateas shown in Figure 3. This opens the upper part of the radiator 43 sothat steam and hot water escape through the opening 41 and enter theinterior area 12 within neck 7, as indicated by arrows 42. This steam,released by the tilting of valve plate 16, escapes through the overflowdrain pipe 14, as also indicated by arrows 42.

When steam pressure in radiator 42 has reached atmospheric pressure thecap 3 may be removed without danger of scalding the user. When the capis replaced, lever 38 is moved downward to the position shown in Figure2, and cap 3 is replaced on neck 7.

It is to be noted that the raising of lever 38 raises valve plate 16 andkeeps it open until it is again lowered. This effective way of releasingpressure in radiator 43 is simple, easy to operate, and the parts usedare cheap and may easily be attached to caps now commonly used.

A sealing washer 45 surrounds hole 32 in cap 3 through which the upperpart of link 30 extends and a fiber Washer 46 maintains a tight closurebetween the top of neck 7 and the underface of cap 3. It is to beunderstood that the radiator, the spout including cap 3, by itself, theresiliently closing valve plate 16, and the valve seat have beencommonly used on automobile radiators and are not in themselves, a partof this invention. The invention, here concerned, resides in the meansdisclosed for opening the valve closing plate 16 and relieving thepressure in the radiator without removing or disturbing the cap 3 toavoid the danger of scalding the pser when the cap is opened as has beendone heretoore.

Therefore the following claims are made.

l. A radiator cap for closing the filling spout of a radiator of a watercooled internal combustion engine, having a neck connected to theradiator top which has an opening with valve seat rim, an overflow pipein the lower part of said neck, an upper closing cap removably attachedto the top of the spout neck, and a closing valve plate attached to thelower face of the upper closing cap, resiliently closing on said valveseat, means for unseating said valve plate without disturbing said upperclosing cap consisting of a link connected to said valve plate andextending upward through said closing cap, a valve opening spring on topof said cap attached to said link and adapted to normally hold saidvalve plug in unseated open position, and a lever on top of said closingcap operating a cam adapted to compress said valve opening spring sothat said valve plate will remain closed, and adapted to release saidvalve opening spring to unseat said valve plate, when desired.

2. In a radiator for water cooled internal combustion engines, having ashell, a spout including a neck attached to the top of said shell andcovering an opening in the top of said shell, a top closing capremovably attached by lugs to the top of said neck, an overflow pipeconnected to the lower part of said neck, a valve seat formed aroundsaid opening in said shell, and a valve plate attached to the lower faceof said closing cap by resilient means and normally resiliently closingon said valve seat when said closing cap is attached to the top of thespout neck, means for unseatin-g said valve plate to open the radiatorinto said spout neck, so that vapor pressure will be discharged throughsaid overflow pipe, consisting of a U-shaped spring having an upper armand a lower arm mounted on the top of said closing cap, a linkoperatively extending through said cap attached at its lower end to aside portion of said closing plate and at its upper end to the upper armof said U-shaped spring, and a lever attached to the top of said caphaving a cam with two faces at its attached end, said cam faces and saidlink being arranged so that when said lever is horizontal the upper armof said U-shaped spring is lowered so that the tension of said U-shapedspring is not applied through said link to said valve seat closingplate, and when said lever is raised said cam will release the upper armof said U-shaped spring and it will raise said closing plate from itsseat so that vapor pressure from said radiator will be released intosaid neck and will escape through said overflow pipe.

3. In a radiator for water cooled internal combustion engines, having ashell, a spout including a neck attached to the top of said shell andcovering an opening in the top of said shell, a top closing capremovably attached by lugs to the top of said neck, an overflow pipeconnected to the lower part of said neck, a valve seat formed aroundsaid opening in said shell, and a valve plate attached to the lower faceof said closing cap by a valve closing spring normally resilientlyclosing on said valve seat when said closing cap is attached to the topof the spout neck, means for unseating said valve plate to open theradiator into said spout neck, so that vapor pressure will be dischargedthrough said overflow pipe without loosening the cap on the spout neck,consisting of a valve opening spring attached to the top of said cap, alink attached at its lower end to an edge portion of said valve plateand extending upward through said cap in slidable and vapor tightrelation therewith and attached at its upper end to said valve openingspring, lever means on top of said cap for compressing said valveopening spring, when desired, so that said valve closing spring willmaintain said valve plate on said valve seat, said lever means beingmanually operatable so that compression of said valve opening spring maybe released, when desired, thereby tilting said valve plate and raisingit from said seat.

4. In a radiator for water cooled internal combustion engines, having ashell, a spout including a neck attached to the top of said shell andcovering an opening in the top of said shell, a top closing capremovably attached by lugs to the top of said neck; said cap having aholefor the admission of a link; an overflow pipe connected to the lowerpart of said neck, a valve seat formed around said opening in saidshell, and a valve plate attached to the lower face of said closing capby a valve closing spring normally resiliently closing on said valveseat when said closing cap is attached to the top of the spout neck,means for unseating said valve plate to open the radiator into saidspout neck, so that vapor pressure will be discharged through saidoverflow pipe without loosening the cap on the spout neck, consisting ofa link attached at its lower end to a side portion of said valve closingplate extending upward through the hole in said cap, in slidablerelation therewith, a gasket washer on the lower face of said capsurrounding said link and maintaining it in vapor tight relation withthe top of said cap, a valve opening spring on the top of said capoperatively connected with the top end of said link and normally liftingone edge of said valve plate, and a manually operatablelever on top ofsaid cap adapted to compress said valve opening spring so that saidvalve closing spring will force said valve plate on said valve seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

